New funding secured to support Ulva Church and island paths
We are pleased to share that new funding has been secured to support two important pieces of work on Ulva: the next phase of the Ulva Church project, and improvements to how the charity maintains the island’s pathways.
Ulva Church: moving from concept to technical development
Following the completion of the Ulva Church Concept Study earlier this year, North West Mull Community Woodland Company has now been awarded support from the Argyll and the Islands Community Led Local Development Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund. Together, this gives us the funding needed to keep momentum going and begin the next stage of work: the technical development phase.
This is an important step, but it is not yet the start of major building works. Before we can move towards physical repair and restoration, we need to properly understand the building, what condition it is in, what work is needed, what permissions may be required, and what the likely costs will be.
This next phase will include the technical surveys and professional work needed to move the church from concept into a repair-ready project. This is expected to include measured surveys, condition and structural assessments, conservation and heritage advice, outline repair proposals, cost planning and advice on consents.
It may not sound as exciting as seeing scaffolding go up or works beginning on site, but this stage is essential. It will allow us to make informed decisions, apply for future capital funding, and avoid rushing into work on a listed building without the right information in place.
Ulva Church has always been more than just a building. It has been a place of worship, gathering and community life, and more recently it has become one of the clearest examples of the challenge facing Ulva: how to care for historic buildings while also making them useful, sustainable and relevant to island life today.
The Concept Study showed a strong desire for the church to return as a simple, flexible space for the community, with the potential to support occasional events that could help with its long-term upkeep. This next phase brings us closer to understanding how that can realistically happen.
Urgent stabilisation works
Alongside the technical development funding, CLLD has also awarded a small amount of capital funding towards urgent stabilisation works.
We hope this will allow us to address some of the immediate issues around water ingress and building fabric, helping to protect the church while the technical work is underway.
If the urgent works make it safe and practical to do so, we also hope this may allow us to reopen the church grounds and existing toilets in due course. This is still to be confirmed, and will depend on the condition of the building, access, safety and any permissions required.
We are very grateful to both funders for their support, and to everyone who has contributed to the project so far through conversations, surveys, ideas and encouragement.
Pathways funding also secured
In other good news, NWMCWC has also received a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund towards pathway maintenance on Ulva.
Ulva’s paths are an important part of everyday island life and the visitor experience. They connect people to the island’s landscape, heritage and walking routes, but they also need regular maintenance. On an island, even simple maintenance can become difficult and expensive if it relies too heavily on external contractors.
This funding will help us purchase machinery to make routine path maintenance more manageable. The aim is to give the charity more ability to deal with some of the regular work in-house, including keeping paths clearer and responding more quickly when sections need attention.
It is a practical grant, but an important one. Looking after Ulva’s paths helps residents, visitors and local businesses, and supports the wider work of making the island more accessible, welcoming and sustainable over the long term.
Both of these funding awards are small steps in the wider picture, but they matter. They help us keep caring for Ulva’s buildings, paths and shared spaces in a practical way, while continuing to build towards the island’s long-term future.
